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For any entrepreneur, especially those with other
responsibilities, like school, a day job or family, being a
master of time management is a necessity.

As a second-year student at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., I
am constantly juggling the challenges of schoolwork, while
simultaneously trying to get my media-publishing website Back to
Black off the ground.

For a while, it felt like there are were not enough hours in a
day, weeks in a month, and months in a year to do it all. Tasks,
big and small, became so overwhelming, procrastination seemed
like the best alternative. I knew in order to make it all work, I
had to get my act together. So I became organized and starting
making every second count.

For those struggling with the balancing act, here are some time
management tips I learned:

Have a to-don’t list. All my life I’ve
heard everyone say, “You need a to-do list.” How about a to-don’t
list? Same concept as a to-do list, but instead, you write down
all things you should not be doing. We all have our triggers that
can make it tempting to stop doing our work. Some people fall
prey to friends wanting to hang out, while others get distracted
with social media.

What should a to-don’t list include? I recommend writing down all
of the people, places and things that deter you from your goals
and devise a strategy for dodging these distractions. Building
this list is going to challenge you to be both self-aware and
honest with yourself but will help you stay focused.

There are apps for everything these days and time management is
no exception. If you need to block out distracting websites try
Chrome's StayFocused. If you just get distracted
with social media sites like Twitter or Facebook, you could
try Anti-Social.You can also monitor your
productivity levels while on the computer with RescueTime.

Know your responsibilities. Everyone has
roles in life -- be it a student, parent or an artist. You need
to make sure you define your role and what it means to you and
others. By doing so, you understand how to leverage your
decision-making process to become more advanced in those
roles.

For example, my roles include being a student, aspiring
entrepreneur, mentor and head of civic engagement for my black
student union. With so little time, I make sure I have a clear
definition of what these roles entail, so I know not to accept
offers that don't correlate with my objectives.

If you say yes too much then all you are doing is spreading
yourself thin on things that will not help you grow. On the
contrary, accepting opportunities that align with the things you
do can be fulfilling and perhaps open doors for the future. That
said, make sure you monitor how many offers you accept, so you do
not burn out.

Utilize SMART goals.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be involved in a
bunch of tasks to be deemed successful. You just need to be smart
about how you use your time, making sure activities are relevant
and will advance your roles and goals.

I follow the advice I learned in school and approach each task
using the SMART method. Every task I set needs to be
specific to a role, is measurable, be
attainable considering my resources, is
realistic pertaining to my schedule and has a set
completion time.

Purchasing a project planner or storing your tasks on an
e-calendar can help you stay organized.

As an entrepreneur, you should do things to advance your goals
every day. There will be times you fall off track, but when that
happens, just dust yourself off and continue doing what you need
to do.

What other tips do you have for starting
up? Let us know in the comments below.

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